Lightning in a Bottle
by r2roswell
Summary: Based off two prompts from inspectorboxer on tumblr. Summary: As Maggie Sawyer struggles with her life before National City, what will this mean for her relationship with DEO Agent Alex Danvers?
1. Excessive Force

_(Author's Note: This fanfic is based off a prompt I got from inspectorboxer on tumblr)_

 **Chapter 1: Excessive Force**

Detective Maggie Sawyer slammed her suspect hard to the ground. He was a twenty-five year old white male who had connections to a rogue known as a Goritron that she along with the legally non-existent DEO were after.

Her suspect cried out in pain as she brought his arm behind his back.

"Keep crying," Maggie said angrily, "The sooner you tell me where Goritron is the sooner this will be over.

He cried out as she pulled his arm harder.

"Hey," Agent Danvers called out, "What the hell are you doing?"

"My job," she shot back.

"Not if you break his arm you're not," Alex said moving Maggie out of the way and straddling the suspect. "I've got this, go cool off."

"This is my perp."

"Now detective!"

Maggie stalked off while Alex handcuffed the suspect. She stood him up and gave him to a nearby officer who put him in the backseat of a squad car.

Alex saw Maggie a little over several feet from where the scene was, apparently giving herself some distance.

"What the hell was that back there," Alex asked when she made her way over to her girlfriend, and away from everyone else.

"I got the guy didn't I?"

"Not the right way."

"Like there is one. You should know more than anyone, sometimes we need to use more force than is necessary with these creeps."

"He was human, there's a difference."

"He was nothing!"

Alex brought her own temper down. She and Maggie had been dating for six months now but she had never seen her girlfriend this rattled before.

"Hey," Alex said placing a hand on her girlfriend's arm to try and calm her, "What's going on?"

Maggie only shook her head, "I have to get back to work. I promise not to break any bones when I interrogate the guy."


	2. Secrets

**Chapter 2: Secrets**

It wasn't just this particular case in searching for the rogue alien that had Maggie rattled. Alex had seen that she was on edge for the past couple of weeks so it didn't surprise her when she found Maggie at the bar with a couple of shots on the counter.

"Sorry about before," Maggie said when Alex sat across from her, "That guy just got under my skin."

"I think we know it was more than that."

Alex reached across the table and held her girlfriend's hand. "Talk to me, Maggie, what's going on?"

Maggie sighed, debating on whether to down the shot in front of her. She did; a little liquid courage.

"My ex is in town. He wants to meet." Maggie met Alex's eyes and knew what she was seeing; the fact that she had said 'he' instead of 'she'. "You're not the only one with a straight past, Danvers."

"No I wasn't thinking that at all. I was thinking about you. Is that what you want, to see him?"

Maggie shook her head, "I don't know. Things between Jim and I are… complicated." Maggie looked around, wondering who, if anyone might be listening. "I'll tell you everything. Just… just not here okay?"

"Wherever you want."

* * *

Alex sat on the couch in her apartment next to Maggie. They had a fire going and two bottles of unopened beers sat on the table in front of them.

Alex studied the picture that Maggie had handed her. The girl in it had Maggie's eyes and smile right down to the same dimples. There was no doubt in Alex's mind as to what she was looking at.

"She's beautiful," said Alex.

"Her name is Jamie. She just turned six. I haven't seen her since she was a year old.

Alex waited patiently the way Maggie had done so many times with her before.

"Her father James and I met on the job when I was in Star City. We were married for a year when I got pregnant. I meant what I said about being able to connect to our alien neighbors. Where I grew up being gay wasn't exactly smiled on. I thought it was just easier on everyone else around me if I was straight so that's who I tried to be.

It wasn't long after Jamie was born, in between that too I guess, that I had fallen for my nurse. She's felt the same and expressed as much whenever Jim wasn't around. We kept things simple, remained friends but after a year that wasn't enough for either of us. I knew I wasn't being fair to Jim so I told him the truth. Becka and I didn't have an affair but sometimes it felt like it.

Jim was bothered by all if it even asking me why we got married in the first place. He filed for divorce and got full custody of Jamie. I didn't contest any of it. I figured she would be better off without me."

"But now Jim is here."

Maggie took a deep breath, "Yeah. I don't know why. It's not like I have anything left to give."

"And your nurse, Becka, were you two ever together?"

"It lasted for a few months but I was the one who couldn't deal so when a job opened up in Star City I took it. I eventually moved around a lot: Metropolis, Gotham. Some were job promotions, others were because I struggled to deal with my reality until finally the job in the science division opened up so here I am."

"So do you plan on leaving town any time soon?"

"No reason to, at least I hope there isn't."

"Good because if you go I'll go with you."

Maggie only smiled but both girls stayed silent as they let Maggie's words sink in. It felt like hours had passed but only minutes had instead.

"I know it's a lot."

"It's okay."

Maggie stood up angrily, "It's not okay! Alex, I just told you I left my husband for a woman and that I have a kid that I don't even see. It's not okay for anyone. I was going along fine with my life. I never told anyone about Jamie. And my parents…" she said shaking her head, "I can't tell you how angry they were at what I did and how much it pains them that they can't see their grand kid unless Jim allows it which I'm pretty sure is never."

"Babe," Alex said standing up to match her, "listen to me."

But Maggie wasn't. She was lost in her own head that it was hard to focus on anything else, focused on James and Jamie and the life she'd left, the guilty of not fighting for her kid coming back to haunt her as it sometimes did.

"And now he's here and it's messed up everything. If I were you I'd be freaking out about now. Why aren't you?" Maggie shook her head before Alex could get in a word, "I'm gonna go."

Alex extended her hand, "Maggie-," but she was all ready grabbing her leather jacket and leaving Alex's apartment.


	3. Sisters

**Chapter 3: Sisters**

Later that evening Alex and Kara sat on the couch at Kara's apartment with a box of pizza on the table in front of them. After her time with Maggie, Alex hadn't wanted to be alone and she thought Kara would be in the mood for pizza no matter what time of night it was.

"Wow," said Kara, "A kid."

Alex took a deep breath, "Yeah."

"And she never told you."

"No but in all fairness I never told her you were Supergirl."

Kara waved it off, "She's an intelligent woman, she would have figured it out somehow."

Alex nodded thinking back to when she and Maggie were only less than a week into their relationship and Maggie had discovered Kara was Supergirl. The three of them had been on a case and after Supergirl had gotten injured, the way Alex was toward her indicated a love of some kind, the way they looked at each other reminded Maggie of the way Alex was toward Kara so it wasn't too hard to figure out.

"And now her ex is here?" Kara asked.

"Yeah. Maggie is completely freaking out. I've never seen her like this. I've tried calling and texting her but she won't answer."

"Want me to find her?"

"No. She needs her space right now."

"And what about you, how are you handling this? A kid, that's a big deal."

"I've taken care of a kid before."

Kara smiled, "Funny but you know that's not what I meant. I don't count."

"I know but honestly I'm not sure how I feel. Her ex has full custody so Maggie hasn't seen her daughter since she was a baby." A smile formed on Alex's lips, "You should see her: Jamie looks exactly like Maggie down to her olive skin. She's just as beautiful as her mom."

"So what are you gonna do?"

"I love Maggie."

"I know you do but a kid, that's a pretty huge step."

"I understand that but Kara, maybe, maybe this is the right time no matter what Maggie decides. I've spent my whole life denying who I was and now this incredible woman has come into my life, a woman who I can't imagine my life without. Maybe there's a reason for all of this you know: Maggie, me coming out when I did, and now her daughter. We all come with a past, it's time I accept hers and honestly I can. Whatever happens I need to be there for her, I want to."

Kara smiled and took her sister's hand, "Then tell her that."


	4. Lightning in a Bottle

**Chapter 4: Lightning in a Bottle**

The next morning Alex knocked on Maggie's door. It was ten in the morning and Alex had come to find through the NCPD that Maggie had taken a personal day, something the detective had never done so Alex told someone at the DEO to cover her while she took care of something.

Alex continued to pound on the door.

"Maggie I know you're in there, come on, Supergirl can hear your heartbeat from over a mile away."

Maggie reluctantly opened the door, slightly bothered by the fact that Alex's sister had tracked her down. She was wearing a pair of sweats and a baggie t-shirt.

"Supergirl needs to-,"

Before she could finish her sentence, Alex cut her off by forcing herself on Maggie; their lips meeting, Alex pushing Maggie lightly into the room, closing the door behind her with her foot. Alex and Maggie tasted each other deeply in a way that was new to Maggie coming from Alex.

 _"Did you really think I'd just give up?"_

"What are you saying Alex?"

"I'm saying that I'm not going anywhere. You have a past, we all do. That doesn't mean I'm gonna run when things get tough or complicated. I love you."

"I love you too but-,"

"No," Alex said cutting her off again, "An ex-husband or a daughter is not gonna change that. I love you and I'm here for you no matter what. You can't get rid of me Sawyer."

Maggie reached up and caressed Alex's face, _Do you know how long I've waited for you?_ she asked.

Maggie reached up and lightly stroked Alex's lips with her fingers before bringing her own lips to meet. The symbolism wasn't lost on either of them: how Alex had, just moments ago kissed her forcefully, a message that she was here to stay and how nothing Maggie could do or say could change Alex's mind. And now Maggie was doing the same thing only slightly opposite, the soft pressure of their lips indicating just how much Maggie loved Alex and how grateful she was that her secret hadn't pushed her away.

* * *

 **A/N: The italics dialogue are the prompts from inspectorboxer on tumblr**

 **Sorry for such a short-short chapter but it needed to be this way as a precursor for what's to come.**


End file.
